The arms were officially granted on September 16, 1992, but are much older. The arms are based on the oldest seal of the city, dating from 1382. The arms show the local patron saint St. Michael, killing a dragon. The inescutcheon with the lion was added, when the city became a possession of the Counts of Thüringen and is derived from the arms of the Counts of Meissen. The inescutcheon in base is the actual coat of arms of the city, which was used as such since the 15th century. This small shield was added to the composition in 1992, but already appeared as part of the inescutcheon in the 1930s.
Source: Ralf Hartemink's webpageKlaus-Michael Schneider, 2 Oct 2016

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